


Consigliere

by neil4god



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: All grown up pack, Chris is pack, Danny is freaking out, Danny's decision is easy in the end, Dark Stiles, FBI Agent Danny, FBI are kinda dicks, Future Fic, Lydia wins a Fields Medal!, M/M, Mafia AU, Pack Dynamics, Picnics in the park, Super smart Stiles, cousin Miguel, danny pov, shifting pov, threat of violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-12
Updated: 2015-01-21
Packaged: 2018-02-17 02:40:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2293925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neil4god/pseuds/neil4god
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's been years since Danny left Beacon Hills behind and everything that happened in it. He moved on, joined the FBI and forgot all about his junior year of High School. At least he tried, but with Stiles Stilinksi leering at him from the FBI's most wanted board, well that makes it kinda hard to forget, and now they want to know all about it. They want him to talk to Stiles, worse still, they want him to wear a wire while he does it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

It was Stiles, older sure, but it was definitely him. He’d grown taller, his shoulders broadened out a little, he’d clearly put some muscle on and learned how to dress but Danny would know that smirk anywhere. He just didn’t know why it was leering at him from a whiteboard in FBI headquarters. Curious, he tapped Martinez on the shoulder and asked, “What’s Stiles doing on the board?”  
He was greeted with silence and a long stare that made him a little bit uncomfortable. Alright, a lot uncomfortable, it was downright unnerving. “You know him?”  
“Yeah we went to school together, all the way from kindergarten until I moved in junior year.”  
The entire department was looking at him weird, he really hoped Stiles hadn’t been killed because it would kill the sheriff if anything bad happened to his son. Martinez grabbed him by the elbow and led him into her office, settling him into a chair while two others, Jones and Marshall leaned against an overfilled bookshelf. “Alright Danny, tell me everything you know about Stilinski.”  


Nervous, he glanced around the room, before taking a breath and asking, “Is he okay? I mean he’s not dead or anything right?”  
Jones smiled at him, blue eyes sparkling at him as he replied, “No he’s not dead, but he’s the only suspect we have right now and we don’t know anything about him.”  
He was relieved for a moment, before the rest sunk in and no. There was no way Stiles Stilinski was a criminal! He told them as much, “Ok yes he kidnapped Jackson and stole a police vehicle but there were extenuating circumstances and they dropped all the charges. Stiles would never do something illegal!”  
Looking back on it, that might not have been the most convincing argument. Jones leaned forward to say something but Martinez held up her hand to stop him, “Look Danny I know this is strange but we really need your help. Tell us about him, anything you remember please.”  
“I don’t know, it’s Stiles. He’s smart, really smart he gave Lydia a run for her money.”  
Jones interrupted, a pen poised over his notebook, “Who’s Lydia?”  
“Eh Lydia Martin. We all went to school together.”  
It was Marshall who asked, “Didn’t she just win a Fields Medal?”  
“Yeah that’s her.”  
“Please continue and if you wouldn’t mind giving us last names as well."  
“Right, well he’s as smart as she is only not with math obviously.”  


He saw Marshall raise an eyebrow at that, but seriously it was something they would have found out anyway once they saw his transcripts. “He was kinda’ spazzy but normal mostly, unpopular but then Scott McCall became co-captain of the Lacrosse team and he was popular. They were best friends so once Scott started dating Allison Argent, who was Lydia’s best friend, that was it. They all sort of hung out. That was the year Derek Hale came back. He was their friend too sort of. Anyway after that it all got messed up, Erica and Boyd went missing and then Erica died and Boyd killed himself. Isaac moved in with Scott and suddenly they were spending all their time together and overnight Stiles was best friends with Lydia and Derek.”  
“This is Derek Hale the billionaire and Scott McCall the footballer right?”  
Danny nodded and watched Jones put it all in his little notebook. “That’s it. I moved state after that, my mom was getting freaked out by all the ritual murders and animal attacks. I heard Stiles went to MIT with Lydia.”  
“How was he with computers? Could he program, hack?”  
Danny’s head shot up at that because seriously, what the hell was Stiles involved in? They were looking at him though so he had to answer, “Eh, that’s kinda, I mean if he wanted. I showed him how to do a couple things before I moved. Not much mind, just little things, but that was the thing about Stiles, he picked things up quickly. Show him something once and he could repeat it. That’s why Lydia liked him so much, in the end, he was the only one who could keep up with her.”  


“The murders we’re investigating were accompanied by theft. We think Stiles hacked into the systems and stole the information he wanted. These are some of the most sophisticated systems in the world, would he be able to do that?”  
How was he supposed to answer that? He didn’t want to get Stiles in trouble because frankly if Stiles was behind this then Danny would come face to face with the ruthless streak Stiles fought so hard to hide all through high school. He couldn’t lie though, he could only hope Stiles wasn’t the bad guy. “Eh yeah, I’m pretty sure he went to MIT for coding. He wrote a couple of codes before I moved away, just little things to help find stuff on the internet and they were beautiful. His professors would be able to tell you more though, I mean I haven’t seen him since he was seventeen. But for the record, I don’t think he did this. I know I don’t know what exactly you think he did, but I know Stiles Stilinski and there is no way he would be on that board.”  


He could still see it from where he was sitting and he whole thing struck him as wrong. “You knew him when he was seventeen Danny, people change.”  
“No I know that. I mean that if he is behind whatever this is, then he wouldn’t be on the board. Stiles is smart and cunning and his dad’s the sheriff. He knows how cops think and he spent enough time around Derek to know what not to do. He wouldn’t let himself become a suspect, he’s better than that.”  
Martinez was looking at him, her head tilted and her eyes calculating. Christ he was not going to like whatever she was thinking. Sure enough, the moment she opened her mouth he hated it, “He has coffee every Wednesday in The Generator, sits by himself down the back working on something on his tablet. You could bump into him, catch up.”  
Danny felt the colour drain from his face. There was no way he could do what they were asking. He was out of his chair and heading for the door when Jones blocked his path. “Come on Danny, think about it.”  


Think about it? He was tech support! He wasn’t a field agent and had no desire to be one. “No, I’m tech support, I’m not trained for the field and Stiles. He’ll see right through me. He’ll know I work for the FBI. He’s not an idiot.”  
“You said you haven’t seen him in years.”  
“I haven’t, but I still talk to Lydia sometimes. She knows what I do so you can bet your ass Stiles does too.”  
“Working for the FBI doesn’t maen you’re investigating him Danny. It’s just a catch up with an old friend.”  
“We weren’t friends.”  
“You taught him to code, that seems awful friendly.”  
“He got Derek to strip half naked, I’d have done anything he fucking wanted!”  
Marshall looked put out by the thought, but Jones and Martinez seemed to be thinking about it, both agreeing, “Yeah that makes sense, I’ve seen those abs.”  
Martinez continued, her tone soft, “Look, we’re not asking you to date him or anything like that. We just want you to get some basic information because honestly we’ve hit a brick wall. His transcripts are missing, he doesn’t have a police file, any articles mentioning him have been deleted. The guy doesn’t even have facebook. We have nothing to go on Danny, we need you to do this, please.”  


\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That’s how Danny found himself pacing outside The Generator, cursing Derek Hale’s abs and Stiles’ damnable curiosity. He was certain that if he had just left, if he hadn’t bothered to say goodbye to Stiles all those years ago this never would have happened. Stupid Derek Hale and his greek god body! He was freaking out, the wire felt uncomfortable at his back and he really didn’t want to do this. So of course that’s the moment that Stiles, with big black glasses and tight jeans ambles around the corner looking fucking delicious. Christ this was a bad idea. He saw the moment Stiles recognized him, that bright smile lighting up his face, his arms stretching wide and doing obscene things to the tight shirt he was wearing. Holy god, Stiles is as hot as Derek Hale, how did that happen? He felt himself be pulled in for a hug and he was helpless to stop it. Stiles’ fingers skimmed over the wire, his amber eyes connecting with Danny’s, he knew. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The van was cramped with the three of them sitting in the back. There were monitors spread across one wall, displaying the images coming from the pin Danny wore on his bag. Jones and Martinez had been sharing covert glances all morning and it was starting to piss Marshall off. Finally Jones asked, “So you think we should have told him about the gang?”  
Marshall couldn’t help the scoffing laugh that came out, but seriously? “And have him freak out that he’s about to infiltrate one of the most powerful gangs in New York? He’s already freaked out enough, here comes Stiles. Fingers crossed this works Martinez.”  



	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny should have stayed at home.

He was nervous and it wasn’t because of the wire (although it was that too), seeing Stiles again was bringing back memories and feelings he had thought he’d forgotten. He had pushed so much aside when he changed schools, desperate to forget. Of course that was part of it, another larger more familiar part, was because he was having coffee with a very hot guy. He hadn’t been out with anyone since Mark and that had been a disaster, so yeah he was nervous. He had always had a soft spot for Stiles but he refused to go back into the closet for anyone and then well, then there was Derek. By the time Stiles had accepted the idea that he maybe liked guys as much as girls, he was already Derek’s. Danny had watched it happen, had seen the shift from enemies to friends to something more. And let’s face it, even if Derek wasn’t a werewolf Danny still didn’t stand a chance. So obviously the first thing out of his mouth is, “So how’s your cousin Miguel?”  
Stiles snorts loudly, laughing so hard he nearly spills his coffee. He’s not even sure why he said it, why he didn’t ask straight out about Derek, but maybe it’s because there are people listening. 

When Stiles gathers himself under control he seems more grown up than Danny has ever seen him. Despite the loud peals of laughter, he’s a lot more settled in himself, he doesn’t fidget or shift around in his seat. He’s relaxed and calm and confident in a way that is completely devastating. When Stiles smiles at him he can almost hear his heart thud in his chest, “Yeah he’s good, living in New York running some big company. We still hang out a lot, mostly for food and stuff. We’re like a pack of ravenous wolves when we’re together.” This smile makes his heart thump for a different reason. There are too many teeth, glistening and sharp. Stiles looks like a predator warning his prey. He has to stop himself from getting up and running away. As it is he has to swallow half his mocha his mouth is so dry. He knows that smile but he’s never been on the receiving end before. It’s the smile Stiles flashed before he verbally eviscerated June in eight grade physics, it’s the smile that tore into Scott when he abandoned his friend one too many times. That smile has edges sharper than any blade and Danny wishes he could curl up in a ball and cry. 

This is the part of Stiles he doesn’t let the world see. He hides it behind bright smiles and flailing limbs, too fast sentences and rambling rants. Not many people get to see this and Danny wishes he wasn’t one of them. That little voice in the back of his head snickered, it meant something alright. It meant he had seen Stiles lose his shit and verbally eviscerate his opponents. He had seen him carefully orchestrate a classmate’s downfall. Had spent years watching Stiles plot and plan practical jokes and convoluted escapades. He knew exactly how ruthless Stiles could be, had seen that aspect of his personality grow in the presence of Derek Hale. Stiles’ sharpest features came to the fore when Derek entered their lives. He grits his teeth and waits for the other man to speak. He knows he should say something, he’s supposed to be gathering information, but he’s too scared to speak. “Lydia tells me you’re with the FBI now, that’s great Danny boy. It’s real important to have a sense of community and family, do you have that with them?”  
His eyes flicker over the wire under his shirt and god this was a bad idea. 

He nods dumbly, aware of the threat evident in Stiles’ words. He was never pack. He relegated himself to the fringes because he didn’t want the shitstorm that was their lives. Of course that had its own ramification, most notable being now where he’s half frozen by some instinct to obey he didn’t remember he had. A memory of Derek doing the same thing to him years ago blurs around his mind, too faint to catch. He was pack adjacent and therefor susceptible Lydia said. He was close enough that he could be made to obey, he never thought it would be Stiles demanding his obedience though. Stiles brushed his fingers over Danny’s wrist, gripping tight enough to make him gasp before pulling back, “We’ve missed you Danny, family shouldn’t be apart for so long.”  
That sharp smile softened into something more real but it was too late. Danny had seen the dark parts of Stiles, was intimately familiar with them. Stiles was still pack and so was Lydia and Derek and for some deeply unsettling reason they were willing to let Danny become pack too. 

He took a cautious sip of his mocha while Stiles prattled on about a video game he was designing, but he couldn’t focus. Stiles was offering him a place within the pack, he didn’t know if he should jump for joy or build a bomb shelter. Stiles slipped him his number and hugged him too tight, his fingers yanking at the wire, dragging it down low enough so it wouldn’t pick up his whispered words, “We’re pack Danny, whether you like or not.”  
He gulped in an aching breath and couldn’t help but clutch to Stiles tightly. He blinked back tears then Stiles was gone, his back straight as he left the café, glaring at the suspicious van parked opposite. 

He took a minute to get himself together before looking down at the piece of paper crumpled in his hand. It said Come Home, in neat black ink, in Derek’s perfect writing with an address on the back. Come home, they wanted him to come home.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, sorry for the massive delay, hope you enjoy.

There were claw marks on his door. They had been there since his first night in the place, deep gashes in the wood that he convinced himself were from a racoon. As if a racoon’s claws were that wide apart, could cut that deep! He convinced himself that anything else was crazy and impossible. He was imaging it after years spent running from the pack, he was being paranoid. Now, freshly showered and on his way to Lydia’s for dinner, he couldn’t help but think about those marks on his door. Derek used to mark the trees around the perimeter of his territory like that. Danny had walked it once with him, stopping every mile or so, so Derek could mark his territory. It had been a surreal moment in his life, Derek explained pack to him and the boundaries of his territory. At the time he was reminded of Mufasa showing Simba the Pridelands, everything in Derek’s territory belonged to him. Danny was beginning to think he fell within Derek’s borders. He played with the piece of paper crumpled in his pocket. It hadn’t occurred to him at the time, but now it rattled around his brain on an hourly rota, it was Derek’s handwriting. How could Derek have known he would meet Stiles? Had he known the FBI were tracking Stiles? Was it some weird coincidence? Did Derek give Stiles a small stack of torn up bits of paper with ominous words on them to hand out to random people?  


\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jones was waiting for him outside Lydia’s apartment. They had decided it was best if someone else infiltrated Stiles’ circle. Danny had come out of that coffee shop looking whiter than a ghost and visibly shaking. Whatever had happened in there the microphone hadn’t picked it up. So Jones as the youngest of them and therefore closest to Danny’s age, had been volunteered as bait. Danny would introduce him to Stiles and their friends then Jones would get as much information as possible while keeping cover. Danny wasn’t keen on the idea, had tried to talk them out of it, had begged them to let the whole thing drop. There was no evidence and whatever they had was probably only circumstantial, they should move on to another suspect. The whole thing only made them more determined to go after Stiles, because Danny was his friend and he came out of that café scared shitless. That was all the proof they needed right there. 

Jones watched closely, aware of the different groupings in the room and the way the leader of each respective group, made their way over to Stiles in supplication. He could almost see their tails wagging when he smiled at them or touched their arm in affection. It was disconcerting, the moment they received his touch they moved away and proceeded to rub themselves up against the remaining members of the group. Jones felt completely out of place but Danny seemed fine with it. He was allowed admittance into Stiles’ circle immediately, much to the jealousy of Lydia’s other guests. They chatted briefly before Danny went to grab a drink and Jones edged closer. 

He was two feet away and ready to introduce himself when Stiles turned his body into Lydia’s and started up a conversation in perfectly accented French. Unable to understand a single syllable Jones headed to the overfilled buffet table and made himself a plate while he thought of clever ways to interest Stiles. He needed the man to like him, to want to get to know him in a more intimate setting. Danny had laughed when they told him the plan, tears glistening in his eyes as he clutched his side and fought to breathe. As far as he was concerned Jones had no chance with Stiles, not unless he took a polyjuice potion and turned into Derek Hale for the party. So he had dug out an old leather jacket and decided not to shave so he could at least appeal to Stiles’ desire for a bad boy. So far it hadn’t worked. Stiles had barely glanced at him all night and it was getting late. 

Desperate to initiate conversation Jones made his way back across the room, a plate of hot food and delicious cake held up over the crowd. He smiled bright, letting his eyes sparkle and pushed the plate at Stiles. It felt like the air left the room, the entire party paused and waited for Stiles to respond. The younger man looked wide eyed and confused before he smirked darkly and turned away, leaning his body into Lydia’s and resuming their conversation (now in Korean). Jones was left standing there with a plate piled high with food and his cheeks flushed with embarrassment. The noise resumed though, the tingle of someone watching him disappeared as the partygoers returned to their dancing and laughing. Feeling humiliated and rejected Jones slunk back towards the kitchen, in serious need of some air when he bumped into Danny. The guy’s shirt was buttoned up wrong and his zipper was down a little, but Jones didn’t hold it against him. He had gotten them into the party, this was Jones’ show now. Danny’s involvement had officially ended the minute Jones crossed Lydia’s threshold. At least that was the plan. If he didn’t have some real interactions with Stiles soon, Danny would have to infiltrate the gang for them, something the guy seemed terrified of doing. 

“You shouldn’t let it bother you, Stiles has this thing about taking food from strangers, he’s kind of a freak about it.”  
Ok well at least that explained it, because no-one ever walked away from his smile; he’d been using it to drop panties and later boxers since he was sixteen. It did make him curious though, if Danny knew about it then Stiles had obviously had this issue for a long time, but why would a teenager worry about someone presumably poisoning their food? That was a weird thing for a teenager, for most people in fact, regardless of age. He took another sweep of the room, noticing how young everyone was. The party was packed with young up and coming professionals, the rising stars of their chosen fields. These weren’t hardened thugs or down and outs, they were wealthy, intelligent and completely under Stiles’ thrall. A lot of the faces where familiar, Jones had read about them in newspapers or heard about them on tv, they were the best and brightest the city had to offer and they were all here for Stiles. Even Danny had made a beeline for Stiles when they entered, ignoring everyone except Stiles. What if Stiles’ gang hadn’t started in New York, what if it started in Beacon Hills? During Stiles’ last two years of school the crime rate and mysterious deaths skyrocketed in Beacon Hills. Maybe it all started then and these were the people Stiles collected along the way. They were all around the same age, Jones would need to look into it, see if they attended the same colleges. If they did, then Stiles was doing something unprecedented; instead of having a few higher ups he could blackmail, like every other mob boss, he was hand picking the next leaders of industry. Jones knew at least three of these guys were lawyers and there were more law students than he could count. A group of architects and engineers huddled around the buffet table telling dirty jokes, while the IT elite bopped along to Lady Gaga. He had people from every sector spread across Lydia’s perfectly decorated apartment. He could be involved with anything and these people, his so called friends would be the ones to help him. They could turn a blind eye or act as his puppets on whim. 

Now that he thought about it he couldn’t seem to stop, it was obvious, what he didn’t understand was how Stiles managed it. Surely there had to be something else, something he wasn’t seeing because sure they adored him, but Stiles didn’t seem all that scary. His paranoia was worrying but Jones knew he was missing something. How did a kid his age manage to achieve so much? His gang had run the mob out of town, for the first time in decades the city streets were clean. Apparently Stiles had a thing about drugs because all of the pushers had disappeared overnight. In one decisive, terrifyingly chilling move, Stiles had eliminated every drug pusher in the city. The police had been overrun with dead bodies, all killed the same way, a slashed throat by something too precise to be animal. Since then the bodies kept coming, former druglords, mafia bosses, dirty cops, if they weren’t on Stiles’ payroll then they were dead. In under three months Stiles had control of New York City’s dark underbelly. What Jones wanted to know was how. How did he do it?


	4. Chapter 4

The debrief afterwards was short because everyone was frustrated and tired. They hadn’t learned anything useful and Jones had made no headway into Stiles’ pants. The guy barely even knew he existed! The only person who seemed ok with tonight’s events was Danny, he had sex hair and more hickeys than Jones thought possible. His smile came crashing down when Marshall lost his temper screaming, “You need to make more of a fucking effort Jones or we’ll never get that gang off the streets.”  
All of the good will and smug satisfaction Danny had been oozing disappeared in an instant, eyes blazing as he asked, “What?” Shame faced, Marshall explained, “We were going to tell you but you seemed so freaked out by just coffee that we didn’t want to worry you.”  
For the first time since meeting him Jones felt like he was looking at a stranger. Danny’s happy smile and bright eyes had darkened to fury and the switch was disconcerting. “Tell me what Marshall?”  
Marshall took a breath, surprised probably by the ferocity of Danny’s glare, “We think Stiles is the head of New York’s largest and now only criminal organization. He killed off the other families and gangs and is running the city by himself. We’ve been trying to infiltrate his gang for months now, you’re the first lead we’ve had.”   
Danny’s face turned to ash, his fingers clutching his stomach tightly as he fought for breath. “You’re investigating the pack. You want me to betray them. I have betrayed them!”   
He was screaming at them, his voice bouncing off the vans metal walls. Martinez tried to step in between him and Marshall, placing her hands on his arms in comfort, but he shrugged her off. “Don’t fucking touch me! You have no idea what I’ve done, what they’ll do to me.”   
In a calm tone Martinez tried to dissolve the tension, “They’re monster’s Danny.”   
The younger man visibly flinched at her words, but Martinez didn’t seem to notice, continuing, “They’re not the people you went to school with, not anymore Danny. They’ve killed countless people, done despicable things, they are not your friends. You work for the FBI, it’s your job to put bad people away, that’s all we’re doing.”   


Danny’s lips tightened but he didn’t disagree with her, he seemed to be working something out in his head. He muttered the word ‘monster’ over and over again under his breath, just loud enough for Jones to hear. After several moments of silence he nodded his head as if agreeing something within himself and then told them, “Isaac invited me to a picnic tomorrow at noon, you should come Jones, Stiles will be there.”  
Martinez and Marshall smiled brightly, but Jones could still see that darkness in Danny’s eyes, it made him worry. He shrugged it off though as they made plans for tomorrow. Danny still radiated tension, but Jones attributed it to shock and worry. He was probably freaking out about what Stiles would do to him if he found out he betrayed them. Once plans were made, Danny informed them, "This is it, I'm not doing anything else, I'm not a field agent and I don't want to be involved in any of this. I'm going home." The finality in his tone was at odds with his usual demeanour, but Jones pushed down the niggling doubt in the back of his mind. 

When they were tramping out of the van together he could have sworn he saw Isaac standing on the corner watching them. He dismissed it as his imagination, but that tingle of worry increased when Danny walked in that direction. He told himself it didn’t matter. Isaac was too submissive to be high within the gang’s structure, he wouldn’t know anything. Besides, Danny should get laid while he could. Isaac would probably spend the rest of his life behind bars along with the rest of Stiles’ gang. He waved goodbye to the others and tried to ignore the bad feeling in his gut. Tomorrow would be better.


	5. Chapter 5

When Jones showed up the next day for the picnic in the park, the entire group stopped speaking to stare at him, apparently he had not been included in Danny’s invitation. The younger boy ignored their glares and settled himself next to the curly blonde. Judging by his enthusiastic greeting, this was the guy he had gotten off with last night. Jones didn’t begrudge him that, he just wished he’d have stayed with him a minute so everyone would stop glaring. Still Jones pushed on, ignoring their glares and muttered comments to find an empty spot on the blanket and offer Lydia his bottle of wine. She accepted it with a raised eyebrow, apparently his choice of wine was not acceptable, but it was the best the store had to offer so she could deal with it. 

It was only once conversation started up again that he realized Stiles wasn’t there. The other boy was conspicuous in his absence. Was he hung over and vomiting into a toilet or was he out doing something sinister. Would Jones find another body floating downriver with a slashed throat and cracked ribs? He tried not to focus on it, after all, there wasn’t anything he could do. He attempted to draw the group into conversation. It was a small bunch, Jones had expected another gang of people like last night, but there were only six people, not including himself and Danny. Two were older than the rest, easily in their late forties, but looking good, well dressed and constantly aware of their surroundings. From snatches of conversation he surmised the dark haired guy was Peter and the blonde was Chris. He had no idea what these two older men were doing in a group of twenty-somethings. They were well toned, they obviously kept in shape, but they couldn’t be termed ‘muscle’, even the most discrete bodyguards had more bulk than them. Puzzled he tried to focus on their conversation, but the murmurs were too low, their heads bent together too intimate to interrupt. Maybe they were related to the others somehow, he would have to look into it. 

Lydia was in conversation with another girl, Cora, laughing about some boy they both knew. He tried to interject, to find out what was so funny, but Lydia dismissed him without a glance and the other girl simply ignored him. In fact they all seemed to be ignoring him, not a single person had spoken to him since he arrived, not even Danny. Anytime the other man looked about to speak, Isaac stopped him, mostly he sucked dark bruises onto his neck or shoved his tongue down his throat, until Danny forgot what he’d been about to say. They systematically ignored him, it was so co-ordinated and so all-encompassing that he was a little unnerved by the whole thing. Jones had never really believed in the power of ignoring someone, had never seen it done quite like this before. It made his skin crawl the way they jammed together onto the tiny blanket, touching one another constantly while they excluded him. He had hoped that in the daylight with slightly less people around, he would be able to draw some of them into conversation, find out anything he could about Stiles and how the gang operated. They knew now that Stiles was in charge, but they didn’t know anything else. They had no idea who was his second or what kind of deals he was running. They were still in the dark.

He was starting to freak out a little when the group turned as one, even Danny, to stare across the park at three approaching figures. He has no idea how they recognized them, all Jones could see were blurry shapes gradually getting closer. Maybe he needed to get glasses, after all, he was getting older. Several minutes later Stiles was shoving his way into the pile of bodies on the blanket, followed closely by Derek Hale. Jones allowed himself a minute to stare at his abs outlined by his tight purple shirt. Martinez was going to be so jealous! Up close the guy was even more gorgeous. His eyes flickered over everyone, landing lastly on Jones, for some reason he couldn’t explain he was unable to meet those beautiful eyes. He felt himself wither under Derek’s glare. Surprisingly it was Stiles who came to his rescue. He laid his hand on Derek’s arm and the older man nodded before striking up conversation with the stranger he arrived with. The man had situated himself next to Lydia, draping an arm over her shoulders and pulling her in tight. 

He thought they would continue to ignore him now everyone was here, but again Stiles surprised him. The young man smiled too brightly at him and the entire group tensed up. Jones could see the muscles bunch under Derek’s shirt and how Cora’s nails bit into her thighs. “So you work with Danny right, you’re FBI?”  
They had already decided there was no point in lying about that, so Jones shrugged and smiled, “Yeah, I’m not a field agent or anything exciting like that, I do the tech stuff same as Danny.”  
Danny had run him through a crash course in computers before the party, but hopefully Stiles wouldn’t ask anything too difficult. 

Derek ran his fingers through Stiles’ hair, settling his palm at the back of Stiles neck possessively. At least this explained last night, Danny was right, no-one would choose him when they could have Derek Hale. Stiles looked amused and flashed a grin at Danny who blushed furiously. When the other boy looked away, Stiles returned his attention to Jones, “See I don’t believe you.”  
Jones felt his heart trip and was grateful no-one could hear it. Peter growled low under his breath and Derek edged closer to Stiles, suddenly everyone was moving, forming a closed circle around him. Even Danny took up position next to Isaac without seeming to realize what he was doing, like he was on automatic pilot. In that moment Jones had to wonder if they were wrong about Danny, if he had been more involved than they realized. Stiles’ smirk widened and Jones felt the sweat start to soak through his Henley. This was not supposed to happen, he stuttered out a denial, trying to keep his cool but feeling like he had suddenly become prey. “We’d really appreciate it if you could be honest with us Tim, it’s important to have honesty in any relationship. Don’t be looking to Danny for help, he’s with us on this. It was rude of you to use him like this, convenient for us but definitely poor manners. Weren’t you raised better?”  


Derek ruffled Danny’s hair and the younger man leaned eagerly into the touch, nearly purring with contentment. With a nod from Derek, Stiles continued, “We’re not the bad guys here. My dad’s a cop, I was raised to respect the law and Jackson here’s a lawyer. He wouldn’t let us do anything illegal, isn’t that right pup?”  
The blue eyed blonde ducked his head in agreement but said nothing. “This whole thing has been a huge misunderstanding, we’re not monsters.”  
Peter growled loudly at this and that was not a noise Jones ever wanted to hear again, it reminded him too much of wolves on the hunt. He opened his mouth to protest, to deny Stiles’ accusations, scoff them off as ridiculous, but Derek turned his glare on him and he couldn’t. He couldn’t move or speak or do anything but try not to piss himself. This was what they were missing, the thing that made the gang so powerful, it wasn’t Stiles’ brain (formidable though that was) it was Derek. Stiles was his consigliere. They were in this together, the pair leading their gang and Danny had known. 

He had tried to tell them how important Derek’s role was but they all dismissed it. Derek was a multi-millionaire and a businessman, he had no reason to spend time with any of these people. Except, looking at them now, Peter was obviously Peter Hale and the girl with overly long nails was Cora Hale, his little sister. Derek’s relationship with Stiles must have kept him in contact with the others and together he and Stiles had decided to rule New York, just like they ruled Beacon Hills ten years ago. They should have seen it, Stiles didn’t have the contacts to do this by himself, not to start with anyway. Sucking in a breath, Jones answered, “I have no idea what you guys are talking about, of course you’re not monsters.” Peter’s growl was echoed by Derek. Unnerved, Jones stumbled to his feet, desperate to get away from them. He had to tell the others, let them know it was Derek. He wasn’t wearing a wire today because it was a picnic in the park, nothing he could learn anything important at. He cursed himself for it now, wishing he had listened to Martinez instead of Danny. The younger man had told him the group were a tactile bunch and would feel a wire. Thinking about it, Stiles might have felt the wire on Danny that first day at coffee. Maybe he knew back then that this whole thing was a set up, but no, he couldn’t have. The others flew to their feet, graceful and sure in a way he had never been. They didn’t give him a minute to escape, instead they pressed closer, so close Jones could feel Chris’ breath on the back of his neck. 

He reminded himself that this was a park and that it was daylight. There were plenty of people around, walking dogs and making out on benches. He wasn’t in any real danger. He let himself focus on that until a jogger he recognised passed him by. He was one of the architects he’d met last night, Brian something. Feeling frantic Jones scanned the rest of the faces nearby and he recognized all of them. They had all been at last night’s party. There was no-one to help him. He slipped his hand into his back pocket, trying to be nonchalant about it, but Chris’ hand wrapped around his wrist and pulled it and the small blade out. Derek stood a little in front of Stiles, protecting him, while Chris handed the youngest of them (Liam maybe) the blade. The boy’s teeth flashed white and Jones swallowed hard. “You guys are really starting to freak me out here.”  
Stiles stepped out of the protection of Derek’s body to stand even with him. “Danny’s notice will be in tomorrow’s post, he’s had a better offer, closer to home. You’ll find a cease and desist on your desk first thing in the morning and then you’ll have a very uncomfortable conversation with your head of department, demanding evidence that you don’t have. After that, I expect to never see you again, but if by some unfortunate twist of fate I do, then I will leave you alone with my good friends here. They can be very persuasive, I’m sure they can give you the motivation you need to move on with your life.”  
Chris had both of Jones' arms locked behind his back while Liam twisted the blade around his fingers too close to Jones for comfort. “There are other people out there who are much easier targets, you should find someone else to suspect, because we are innocent.”  
Stiles kept smiling and Jones was starting to dread that smile, it was dark and seemed more of a threat than a twist of lips. Derek stepped forward, Jones thought his eyes flashed red for a moment, but that was crazy. He shot Jones a deadly glare and in a too soft voice thanked Jones for the return of their lost lamb. All eyes flashed to Danny who blushed again. Jones was afraid to say anything, instead he remembered Danny telling them Stiles wouldn’t be on their board, he was too smart. Turns out Danny was right. This whole thing was a ploy to bring Danny back into the fold.  


At a nod from Stiles, Lydia broke apart from the pack and started shoving the blanket and others bits into a large bag. Derek wrapped his arms around Stiles and dismissed them with a nod of his head. In an instant the others had separated and helped Lydia pack up. In under two minutes they were walking away, the only thing left, the bottle of wine Jones had brought and the small blade Liam had dropped beside it. His knees were shaking so hard he had to sit down. He didn't know how he was going to explain any of this to Martinez and Marshall. They had barely touched him but he was more terrified than he had ever been in his life, there was nothing tangible to pin it on. It wasn't any one thing that scared him, it was the odd combination of Derek, Stiles and their wicked smiles. How could he tell anyone he was afraid of a smile? He made himself breathe past the fear and focus on the future. He had no doubt that tomorrow would go exactly like Stiles predicted. If he was lucky he might get to keep his job, that was about the most he could hope for now. He would be absolutely certain though to never go near Stiles and his pack again. He should probably count himself lucky he was only a pawn on Stiles' chessboard and not a valuable piece. He felt a twinge of guilt and worry for Danny, it was because of him the guy was dragged into this mess. But no, this was because of Stiles. He wanted Danny back and he made it happen. This was all because of Stiles and Derek, they were the ones leading the pack.


End file.
